Trump Calls Ukraine President-Elect Zelenskiy To Offer Support and Congratulations

April 22, 2019 (EIRNS)—President Donald Trump spoke to newly elected Ukrainian President-elect Volodymyr Zelenskiy Sunday night, congratulating him on his victory in a “peaceful and democratic election process,” according to White House officials. He offered U.S. support for Ukraine’s “territorial sovereignty” and said he would work with him to “strengthen democracy, increase prosperity, and root out corruption.”

Zelenskiy won a crushing victory, with 73.2% of the vote. He won 87% of the vote in the East (excluding the Donbas, which did not participate in the election), 70% in the central region, and 57% in the West.

Following the call from lame-duck President Petro Poroshenko conceding the election, Zelenskiy told the press, according to the Kyiv Post:

• On the war in Donbas: “We will act within the Normandy Format [Ukraine, Russia, Germany, France] and will continue the Minsk process. We will be reloading it. I believe we’ll have staff turnovers—we will do everything possible for the sake of ending open hostilities. Bringing our boys back home alive is paramount for us. Apart from that, our number-one task is to get all of our prisoners of war back.”
  
  
• As a Russian speaker, he told the press: “I must protect the Ukrainian language as guarantor (of the constitution), and I will do it.”
  
  
• On Poroshenko: “Poroshenko has offered me his assistance. If I ever need it, I’ll call him. Do you want me to appoint him to a post? I will definitely ask society, and if it wants Petro Poroshenko on some post, it can happen. But let’s at least try to do something with new people.”

Zelenskiy is an unknown, and forecasting his actions is impossible at this point. But the crushing of the Poroshenko regime is reason for hope. The Trump role could be crucial.